Mayor Joseph P. Ganim
Bridgeport, CT
For Immediate Release
May 10, 2018
For More information:
Dalmarys Matos (203) 576-7201
Dalmarys.matos@bridgeportct.gov
Press Release
Mayor Ganim, City of Bridgeport Launch “NexGen” Public Safety Software
Network Technology to Streamline Emergency Dispatch and Increase First Responders’ Situational Awareness
BRIDGEPORT, CT – Mayor Joe Ganim and the City of Bridgeport today launched Public Safety Software “NexGen” to ensure proper information sharing from dispatch to all first responder agencies that will allow situational awareness that will improve efficiency, effectiveness and public safety.
“NexGen allows our police officers, firefighters and emergency personnel to share critical information between each other,” said Mayor Ganim. “Over the past two years the City of Bridgeport Emergency Communications and Operations Center has made significant strides toward strengthening our City’s preparedness and improving our communications capabilities so that our public safety departments are more effective and efficient, and ultimately improve service and response to our residents. This modern technology does just that.”
The new strategy will enable a seamless collaboration between the City’s Emergency Communications Center (911), the First Responder agencies and our Emergency Operations with providing cutting edge technologies of NexGen and PowerPhone applications to improve emergency response capabilities and integrated information sharing amongst all partnering agencies with the ease of a digital tablet at their vehicle console and display at first responder headquarters.
Police Chief Armando ‘AJ’ Perez said, “This greatly improves our investigations by having all records centrally located and easily accessible. It replaces a variety of different software systems. It also allows the police department to be more efficient with the ability to write and share reports between various officers, various units and command staff. Officers will now spend more time on the streets more and less time at their desks.”
Director of the Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security Scott Appleby said, “This project has already strengthened our partnerships and resiliency by requiring us all to work together to ensure a more structured and common way emergency responders communicate and operate.”
Before NexGen, a Police dispatcher would type notes about a call in their own individual system. But only the responding Police officer would have access to the notes; the responding Fire unit did not. The NexGen system shows all responders any notes and updates regardless of the agency.
Fire Chief Richard Thode said, “The safety of city residents, but also of my staff, is always a concern during an emergency call. This program now gives firefighters access to reports that will ensure they are better prepared entering a situation. Monitors in the fire stations will also display instant status changes as well as the ability to view every active call in the city. This will allow firefighters to maintain situational awareness and monitor what the other units are doing.”
Both companies are locally-based in Connecticut. The NexGen Company operates out of East Haven and PowerPhone is a Madison-based company.
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